An unusually heavy layer of fog enveloped the craggy cliffside coast lining Palos Verdes Estates on March 13, 1961.
The inclement weather made the water particularly difficult to navigate. A cargo ship, the Dominator, was carrying about 9,000 tons of wheat and beef from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the north African nation of Algeria. With no radar on board, the captain slowed the 441-foot-long vessel to about 11 knots as he searched for the Port of Los Angeles, where he planned to fuel up.
Instead, the captain got too close to the rugged shore and the Dominator ran aground off Rocky Point just before 6 p.m.
A distress call was received a short time later by King Harbor lifeguards, who raced from Redondo Beach to Palos Verdes Estates. There were no casualties, and the crew of 34 men chose to remain on board. The next morning, the crew tried to break the ship's engines free from the jagged rocks during high tide, but the attempt was futile. Later on, three of the Dominator's compartments started taking on water.
For the next two days, the crew hoped that the stranded vessel would be pried loose with assistance from tugboats and the rising tide. Instead, divers found that the hull was tightly wedged between the rocks, lying paralyzed in what would ultimately become its final resting place.
The captain finally decided to abandon ship and radioed an SOS just after midnight on March 16. The freighter was starting to break apart as Coast Guard officers and county lifeguards assisted the crew onto a cutter and several tugboats bound for Long Beach.
"A once-mighty ocean creature sighed heavily today and conceded victory to the fury of the sea," according to a March 16, 1961, Daily Breeze story reporting the crew's evacuation.
Here is the ship's final resting place today, 50 years later:
Closeup of the ship's bow
Closeup of (unknown) part of the ship
A piece of the onboard machinery, covered in Ferric Oxide :wink:
Personal note: The shipwreck is located between Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay in a spot that is very difficult to access. After descending a steep cliff, we hiked for an hour through a beach full of unstable rocks, seeing dead sharks and seals along the way. This area is not frequented by people and can be dangerous during a high tide. We headed on a low tide and I had to work FAST before high tide comes in and possibly get us stranded. It's a strenous hike and I have no plans to go back, but it was a great adventure that I enjoyed. :wink:
The inclement weather made the water particularly difficult to navigate. A cargo ship, the Dominator, was carrying about 9,000 tons of wheat and beef from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the north African nation of Algeria. With no radar on board, the captain slowed the 441-foot-long vessel to about 11 knots as he searched for the Port of Los Angeles, where he planned to fuel up.
Instead, the captain got too close to the rugged shore and the Dominator ran aground off Rocky Point just before 6 p.m.
A distress call was received a short time later by King Harbor lifeguards, who raced from Redondo Beach to Palos Verdes Estates. There were no casualties, and the crew of 34 men chose to remain on board. The next morning, the crew tried to break the ship's engines free from the jagged rocks during high tide, but the attempt was futile. Later on, three of the Dominator's compartments started taking on water.
For the next two days, the crew hoped that the stranded vessel would be pried loose with assistance from tugboats and the rising tide. Instead, divers found that the hull was tightly wedged between the rocks, lying paralyzed in what would ultimately become its final resting place.
The captain finally decided to abandon ship and radioed an SOS just after midnight on March 16. The freighter was starting to break apart as Coast Guard officers and county lifeguards assisted the crew onto a cutter and several tugboats bound for Long Beach.
"A once-mighty ocean creature sighed heavily today and conceded victory to the fury of the sea," according to a March 16, 1961, Daily Breeze story reporting the crew's evacuation.
Here is the ship's final resting place today, 50 years later:
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Closeup of the ship's bow
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Closeup of (unknown) part of the ship
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
A piece of the onboard machinery, covered in Ferric Oxide :wink:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Personal note: The shipwreck is located between Malaga Cove and Lunada Bay in a spot that is very difficult to access. After descending a steep cliff, we hiked for an hour through a beach full of unstable rocks, seeing dead sharks and seals along the way. This area is not frequented by people and can be dangerous during a high tide. We headed on a low tide and I had to work FAST before high tide comes in and possibly get us stranded. It's a strenous hike and I have no plans to go back, but it was a great adventure that I enjoyed. :wink:
. I'm glad you decided to share these -- I had wondered how that bulldozer came to be on the beach.
